CS AU: Betrothed
by odonoswan
Summary: Alternate Universe: Emma Swan is an 18 year old princess who has been betrothed to her childhood best friend, Aidan. When he comes to town for their engagement she struggles with accepting the marriage especially when his dashing pirate friend, Killian Jones, comes into the picture. Now Emma must decide where her heart and loyalty lies.
1. Chapter 1

Emma Swan jumped from the tree, ball in hand, barely landing on her feet. After regaining her balance she tossed the ball to the young boy standing before her. "Next time you'll be the one climbing the tree."

She raised an eyebrow as the boy ran to hug her, "Thank you sister!" He began to toss the ball gently in his hands and turned to walk away.

"Not so fast Sebastian. You can't expect me to climb a tree for you and not want something in return."

She took a step towards the child. His eyes widened with fear of what she might ask. Would she require his deserts this week, refuse to skip rocks with him, or make him be the seeker in their next round of hide-and-seek? He couldn't bear to think of these unspeakable horrors.

The boy took a step back, "What is it you want?" A smirk appeared on his sister's face making his nerves increase immensely.

"My dagger, I know you took it. I want it back." Emma extended her hand, giving him a chance to hand it over now.

Sebastian shook his head profusely, "I won't. I don't want to."

Her hands moved to her hips and she slowly shook her head, "Fine, then I'll just have to take it from you."

Her brother had begun fleeing to the garden before she finished her sentence and Emma couldn't help but smile. She waited a few seconds longer to chase after him. Their size difference made it easy for her to catch up with him, but she trailed behind on purpose. As they made their way through the garden Sebastian took advantage of their size difference and began cutting through the shrubbery. He expected her to go around rather than through, but Emma never did the expected. Unlike most princess it didn't matter that mud soaked into the ends of her gown and she hardly cringed when she heard something rip. No, she continued her pursuit of the young boy and followed him into the palace, mud and all. Sebastian ran to the nearest staircase and began climbing. She followed at a safe distance, assuring that he would believe he was outrunning her. As Emma made her way up the stairs the palace bells began to ring. She counted the rings, "One. Two. Three. Four." All the way to eight when she heard Sebastian yell, "You'll never catch me!" and suddenly she couldn't see him anymore.

Emma increased her speed and followed her brother through a series of hallways. _'How many rings were there?' _she thought to herself. She could only remember counting to eight, but the rings continued after that. She hadn't been awake very long so she settled on eleven rings and convinced herself she had an hour to clean up. Sebastian was getting tired and his pace slowed and Emma was coming up behind him when he turned to two enormous, slightly cracked, brass doors. The throne room. He slipped in and Emma followed reluctantly, knowing that with the ceremony an hour away it would be full of people preparing tables and decorations. When she entered she was oblivious to the stillness of the room and it didn't seem odd that Sebastian was simply standing in the middle of the room.

She snuck up behind him and spun him around. "Now you have to give it back!"

She grinned and set him down, holding her hand out. His eyes were wide with horror and she was just about to ask if he had seen a ghost when someone cleared their throat. Emma turned her head to the front of the room where the King and Queen's thrones sat, shining with glory. In front of them stood the King and Queen themselves, faces covered with disbelief and disgust. It suddenly dawned on Emma how quiet the room was when there was to be a celebration in an hour. She turned her head to the left and her jaw dropped. Her eyes locked on the man standing there. It was him. It was her suitor, her fiancé, and her childhood best friend, Aidan. His eyes were glittering with joy at the sight of Emma. She began to chuckle as she ran into his open arms to embrace him.

"How nice of you to show up to our engagement." He teased.

Emma pulled out of the hug and nudged his arm, "I may have miss-heard the time."

Aidan opened his mouth to continue the jokes when, once again, someone cleared their throat. Emma turned to face the thrones and winced at the sight of her father's red face. She knew that this day was important to him and she had dragged it to ruin.

She moved in front of the King and Queen, her father and mother, and gave a small curtsy, "Father, I apologize for my tardiness and misconduct. I have acted in such a way that is-"

She was cutoff by her father who silently raised his hand. He gestured for her to take her place by her mother. The Queen smiled at her daughter as she moved next to her, until she looked down. Suddenly a look of horror had overtaken her face.

"Emma!" She gasped, "What have you done to your beautiful gown?"

Emma looked down at the skirt of her white dress, which had been ripped and tainted by mud and dirt. She looked up and saw the room full of friends, noblemen, and servants snickering at her appearance.

"Sebastian and I were playing in the garden." Her gaze shifted to the floor. Her mother began to shift the skirt and did her best to wipe off the dirt. She worked at it furiously, but there was no progress.

The King placed a hand on her shoulder, "Snow, there is no saving that dress. You should have expected something like this." Snow White straightened and replaced her look of agitation with her warm smile.

"Now that my daughter has so graciously decided to join us, we may begin the ceremony!" The King's voice boomed to all corners of the throne room. Emma couldn't help but roll her eyes as her father began his opening speech, which was really the reason the ceremony was scheduled to last over half of an hour. To occupy herself she began to examine the attendees. She smiled at the people sprinkled through the crowd who fought to keep their eyes open and gagged at the men at the back who stuffed themselves with little sandwiches and pastries. Eventually Emma's gaze made it to Aidan and those of his subjects and servants who had been selected to join his journey. This was the first time she noticed him. Not Aidan, but the man behind him, who seemed very intrigued with his left hand. She had never seen someone so beautiful, man or woman. His hair was thick and black, his eyes crystal blue, and his smile sat crooked. His beard added a few years to his face and his right cheek wore a scar. He seemed to be fidgeting with something in his hands. Emma held in a giggle when the tip of his tongue jutted out of his mouth and his eyebrows crinkled in concentration. His face reminded her of Sebastian when he attempted to solve mathematical equations.

Emma noticed that Aidan's gaze had fallen upon her and immediately moved her eyes to meet his. He smiled and widened his eyes as if to say, "This speech will never end." She smiled at him and tilted her head, remembering the first time they met. Aidan was seven and Emma was five when he first showed up in her kingdom. She sat on the dock where Aidan's ship had stopped to drop his family and servants off. Her feet swung off the edge, far from the waters surface. Emma wondered if she could touch her feet to the water so she scooted closer to the edge. Even with more than half her backside over the edge of the dock she couldn't reach. She scooted back and crossed her arms, thinking hard of a way to touch the water. Now that she had tried she had to succeed. A smile spread across her face when the brilliant idea to hang off the edge of the dock popped into her mind. She inched to where she was previously, backside almost completely off the dock. She turned over on her stomach and began sliding her stomach down the edge of the dock. Her head looked over her shoulder to watch for the moment that her toes hit the water. It wasn't until her chin rested on the dock, arms holding on tightly, that she accomplished her goal. Little Emma giggled with joy and swung her legs back and forth. Suddenly she realized she didn't contain the strength to pull herself back up and dropping into the water was not an option as she had not yet learned how to swim. Panicked, Emma attempted to pull herself up the dock, hands grasping for anything. There was nothing to grab so Emma tried something else. She swung one of her legs up onto the dock and began to push up with her heel. She was rising and almost on the dock when her heel slipped and she fell backwards, splashing into the water. Immediately Emma was underwater flailing her limbs to make it back to the surface, but it seemed the more she tried the faster she sunk. She stopped. Looking up to the surface of the water, pressure building in her chest as the need for air grew stronger, she wanted to cry. She closed her eyes and thought of the great life she had. The past five years were truly amazing and if it was all she got she was okay with that. Emma continued to accept what seemed to be her inevitable death when a figure broke through the surface of the water, diving towards her. Everything had begun spinning as the lack of oxygen took its toll on her. She felt arms wrap themselves around her and as the mysterious figure began pulling her towards safety her eyes fluttered shut.

Her body jolted up, eyes wide, gasping for air. She looked around to find she was lying on the shore next to the dock and there was a boy sitting next to her. She scooted back from him as she realized she did not recognize him.

"It's okay," He pleaded, "I'm the one who pulled you out of the water. I'm here to help."

She noticed his soaking wet attire and figured he wasn't lying. Emma jumped towards him and hugged him with all her strength, "Thank you so much. I was gonna die."

He returned the hug, "It's okay, and I wouldn't let you die."

She pulled away and stood up, "I'm Emma." She gave a little curtsey as her mother had taught her.

He bowed slightly, "I'm Aidan."


	2. Chapter 2

Ever since Aidan saved her life Emma had trusted him completely. He stayed at the castle until his sixteenth birthday when it was required he return to his kingdom to begin assuming his duties as future king. That was the day she learned of her betrothal to him. Emma's parents had kept quiet about the arrangement due to her strong willed and independent nature. They didn't see why she had to know until the time came for them to marry. Aidan was about to board the ship and sail home when Emma came running down the dock, tears streaming down her face. His heart shriveled up and disintegrated at the sight. Emma Swan simply never cries. He pulled her into a hug and asked her what was wrong. She slapped his arm and told him he was an idiot. Aidan was genuinely confused. Emma revealed that she was worried she would never see him again and he laughed. She crossed her arms and pouted at him, not finding the same humor in the situation. He rolled his eyes and told her she would have to try harder to fool him. Obviously they would see each other again, because they would both have to be at their wedding! Slowly Emma stepped backwards, away from Aidan, eyes wide. '_Our wedding?' _Aidan, more confused than he had ever hoped to be, began walking towards her. She held her hands out telling him to keep his distance and then ran. She ran off the dock, through the garden, up three flights of stairs, and into the throne room to confront her parents. That was how she found out she would marry Aidan and that was the last time they saw each other.

Suddenly Emma realized she had been looking straight at Aidan for far too long and a blush rushed to her cheeks. She moved her gaze to the back of the throne room. Her father's speech couldn't go on much longer, at least she hoped. Emma's left toes quietly began tapping the marble beneath her and she bit her lip. She felt uncomfortable. Why did she feel so uncomfortable? The right side of her face began to twitch and burn like someone was watching her. She looked to her right and caught the eye of Aidan's mysterious friend whom she had noticed earlier. He raised the left side of his mouth to smirk and winked at her. Emma raised her eyebrows at him and tilted her head. His smirk blossomed into the most endearing toothy grin Emma had ever seen. Aidan turned around to look at his friend and moved in to whisper something in his ear. Aidan's new position gave Emma a clear view of what his friend was fidgeting with earlier. Hanging from the man's left wrist was not a hand, but a large silver hook. Emma quickly covered her mouth to prevent any possible gasping noises she was ready to make.

She had heard about this man. He was a pirate and he sailed the seas on his ship The Jolly Roger with a crew that feared him like a child fears the monsters under their bed. There were numerous theories floating around about his hook and how he lost his hand. Some said it was cut off for thievery, others that he was stranded on an island and cut it off for food. There was even a story about how he cut it off in front of all his crew and replaced it with a hook simply to make them fear him and ensure they would never betray him. None of these stories, of course, excluded detailed descriptions of the pirates devastating good looks. As Emma looked at him she decided she would pay good money to the first person who could describe his physical appearance accurately, because none of the descriptions she had ever heard could have prepared her for the man in front of her. She had heard it all: dashing, gorgeous, attractive, handsome, striking, enchanting, beautiful, alluring. None of those words captured the essence of the pirate. Everyone called him Captain Hook, but it was obvious to Emma that wasn't his real name. As popular as he was around the kingdoms the lack of backstories for the captain was shocking. No one truly knew where he came from and no one seemed to care all that much and he didn't seem the type to talk about his past. This only made Emma more curious. She decided after the ceremony she would ask Aidan all about this Captain Hook and how they met.

"So as we celebrate the melding of two powerful kingdoms I invite you all into our home. This marriage is about unity and friendship. Please, do not hesitate to ask for anything you require. We wish to make your stay as comfortable and pleasurable as possible. Thank you all for your support through this monumental stage of our kingdoms future history. May you all encounter prosperity in each of your endeavors." The King bowed to his subjects who all returned the respect.

"Prince Aidan if you would please make your way to my daughters side." He dug in his pocket and pulled out a small wooden ring box.

As Aidan made his way past the King he retrieved the box from him and placed himself in front of Emma. He knelt on one knee, as tradition would have it, and opened the wooden box in his hand. "Emma, today I request your hand in marriage, with the blessing of the King and Queen, because I- I…"

Emma raised an eyebrow at him as he choked on his words. She nudged his shoulder with her hand and his muscles seemed to relax.

"Because, I believe that our marriage would be beneficial to both our kingdoms. Will you accept my hand in marriage?" He rushed his sentence.

The whole thing seemed so formal Emma almost laughs and somehow she figures Aidan had planned on saying something much different, but she replies with a simple, "Yes." He slips the ring on her finger and stands up to hug her as the crowd applauds the couple's engagement. They turn to the crowd, hand in hand, and take in the applause.

"Please, enjoy yourselves. Eat, drink!" The King shouts as he makes his way into the crowd to mingle with the dignitaries.

Aidan released Emma's hand and began making his way to his pirate friend. Emma takes a few steps and opens her mouth to call after him, but her mother stops her.

"Emma, please stay. I would like to talk to you." Snow stated as she took a seat in her throne.

Emma turned to face her mother, figuring she was about to get an earful on how it wasn't becoming of a princess to show up late to her own engagement ceremony in a ripped and muddy gown. But her mother patted her father's throne and said, "I'd like to talk about Aidan."

Emma shrugged and took a seat in the throne, "What about him?"

"It's obvious that you don't have romantic feelings for him."

"Is that a problem? I was under the impression that I had to marry him whether I loved him or not."

"Well, you do, but I want to talk to you about the possibility of loving him. Truly loving him."

Emma sighed, "Mom, isn't it enough that I'm marrying him without complaining? Aidan and I aren't like that. He's always acted like an older brother towards me."

Snow nodded, "Maybe in the past, but you two haven't seen each other for some time. I think it's possible his view of you has changed. When you first ran into the throne room, his face lit up. It certainly wasn't a look of brotherly love."

"Okay mom, stop. I'm not having this conversation with you. If Aidan loves me so much than he can tell me himself, but I don't think that will change the way I feel about him."

"That's why I wanted to talk to you. Don't you think it will affect your marriage and more importantly your friendship if he expresses his love for you and you tell him there's no chance you'll feel the same? I think you owe it to yourself to open your heart to at least the possibility of loving Aidan. You have time. The engagement will be a long one."

Emma looked across the room to where Aidan was standing at the table filled with delicious desserts. His plate was absolutely full of chocolate cake, exotic fruits, and colorful pastries. He eyed the rest of the table with a childish glint in his eye that made Emma laugh. She stood up and rolled her eyes at her mother, "Fine, I'm not saying that I will love Aidan, but I'm not saying that I could never love him."

"Good," her mother smiled, "and also, stay away from that friend of his, Captain Hook I think they call him."

Emma's smiled faded, "Why?"

"I know Aidan has taken a liking to him, but he is not an honorable man. He has no respect for authority or the law. The stories of him are truly terrible. He is nothing but a pirate, in every sense of the word."

"Have you ever even talked to him?"

"I don't need to talk to him, I've heard the stories."

Emma placed her hands on her hips, "That's a little unfair. They are stories for a reason. How do you know they aren't lies?"

"Just stay away from him Emma. I don't trust him."

"Fine." Emma started to walk away, towards the back of the room where the desserts and Aidan were located. She was about to approach Aidan to ask him about his friend when she felt someone watching her from behind. It was her mother. She noticed the pirate to her right, all alone and smiled at her mom. Emma could ask Aidan all about Captain Hook, but where would the fun be in that? So she walked past the prince and made her way to the pirate himself.


	3. Chapter 3

Hook let his eyes roam over the approaching princess. Normally he wouldn't look at the woman his best friend was engaged to marry, but no man could deny himself the pleasure of looking at Emma Swan. Her golden curls shined as the rays of sun from the windows reflected off her hair. On her face was an ever-present smirk. Not a smile, but a small lift of the corner of her mouth, most likely the result of years of princess training. Hook had never seen a woman wear torn clothing so elegantly, the skirt of her dress swishing gloriously as she glided further towards him. Something grew in his stomach as he realized she was merely steps away from him. He looked down at his stomach with a look of indignation. Only once before had he felt this unnerving sensation. He shook his head wishing he could shake away the feeling. It was impossible. Hook chalked it up to physical attraction and put on his best pirate smile as she took her place in front of him.

"Hello love," he gave a slight bow of the head, "to what do I owe this pleasure?"

Emma didn't respond. Instead she looked back at him, absolutely shocked that someone would address her so informally. Not that she minded, in fact she hated being called "your highness" or "princess", but no one ever seemed brave or comfortable enough to comply with her wishes. And that accent. No one had mentioned how smooth his voice was. She figured that his voice wasn't something that could be put into words. One had to hear it for themselves to believe its beauty.

Hook raised his eyebrows, "Did I say something wrong?"

"No," she shook her head, "I suppose I'm not used to people acting so casual around me. Most people stiffen when I come around and I've certainly never been addressed as 'love' by a stranger."

"I'm not so strange." He looked down to inspect his fingernails, "What should I call you then? Your highness? Princess? Most high and supreme ruler?"

She crossed her arms against her chest, "How about Emma?"

He held out his good hand, "A beautiful name for a beautiful woman."

Emma offered her hand and let him press a kiss to it, glaring at the pirate. She was not easily flattered. She placed her hands on her hips, "So what are you doing in the castle? I didn't think my parents let pirates in."

"Naturally, though being the best friend of your darling prince has it's perks."

"How did you become friends with Aidan? I find it hard to believe that his parents would let him associate with a pirate."

Hook chuckled, "That is a story for another time, lass. But I can say that I am much more than a pirate. I am an honorable man."

"That's not what the stories say." Emma retorted.

"Ah, well, I suppose that makes it all true then."

"I never said it was true, I simply noted your reputation. People get reputations for a reason."

He cast his gaze to the ground, "That is true" he looked up, "but isn't it also true that once someone has a reputation people refuse to acknowledge when they've changed? You don't have the privilege of choosing how others see you."

"Is that what happened to you?"

"Aye, but it matters not. I know who I am, what kind of man I am, and I don't waste my time proving it to those around me."

Emma smiled at him, "That's noble of you."

He shook his head, "Hardly."

For a moment they stood there and looked at each other. There were no words as they took mental notes of on another. Hook noted the way Emma bit the inside of her cheek and rubbed the fabric of her dress between her fingers. Emma noticed the way the pirate placed his hook in a belt loop and hooked one foot behind the other. Small things, undoubtedly, yet these were the things they noticed.

Emma was the once to break the silence, "So, what should I call you? Pirate sounds so impersonal."

Hook smirked, "Ah, you want to get personal, love?"

"Any friend of Aidan's is a friend of mine." Emma replied in attempt to remind not only Hook, but also herself that she was indeed engaged to his best friend. Flirting this way was hardly appropriate.

"Most people know me as Captain Hook, but my original branding is Killian Jones."

"That's a nice name. It's not in any of the stories."

"That's because no one is willing to admit that I was anything before I was Hook, but I had a life prior to my pirating."

Emma was about to say she'd like to hear about it when Aidan joined the pair.

Aidan placed a hand on Emma's back, "I see you've met Killian. I hope he hasn't told you anything incriminating about me."

Emma tried her hardest not to show the discomfort on her face. Aidan was her best friend, but his touch was a little too familiar and she couldn't help feeling guilty that she had just been flirting with Killian.

But she shook it off, "Incriminating? I was under the impression that you spent all your time reading and kissing the ground your parents walked on."

Both the men laughed at this and Aidan moved his hand from Emma's back to his chest in mock hurt.

"I'm afraid the boy you knew is a much different man, Swan." Killian smiled at his friend, "If you lovebirds will excuse me." He walked away from the two and Emma felt the urge to ask him where he was going and follow him, but she stayed with Aidan.

"How are you feeling?" Aidan looked concerned.

"I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?"

"I know this situation isn't ideal, Emma. You never seemed the type to settle down."

She chuckled at that, "I suppose the situation isn't ideal, but if I'm being forced to marry someone I'm glad it's you."

"I'm not sure if I should be offended or flattered." He placed a hand on her shoulder, "We knew this day was coming, but it arrived quicker than I expected. It seems like just yesterday I was pulling you out of the ocean."

Emma sighed, "Now we have the rest of our lives for you to hold that over my head."

Her attempt to lighten the mood failed as Aidan continued, "You know, we are only engaged. Our parents could decide that this marriage isn't beneficial to our kingdoms and break the engagement."

"Aidan, really, it's fine. We must carry through with our duties. Besides, marrying your best friend can't be as awful as it sounds." She winked at him.

His spirits seemed to lighten, "So, what do you think of Killian?"

This caught Emma off guard. She stuttered a little, "I-oh, I mean, he seems nice."

"Don't believe all the stories you hear Emma. Killian is a changed man. I have every reason to respect and trust him."

"I never believed those stories for a minute."

"Whatever you say princess." He bowed towards her and took his leave.

Emma was relieved to be alone. She desperately wanted to find Killian so she swiftly made her way out of the throne room. Her knowledge of the pirate was limited so she started looking in the places she would go to be alone. First she checked the garden, then the library and the kitchen. No hiding spot was left unobserved in her search. Fifteen minutes passed before she finally gave up. Searching the whole castle for a man she had just met was slightly ridiculous. She decided she would make her way to her room, not wanting to encounter her father or mother anytime soon. Especially her mother, who was sure to be angry with her for blatantly disobeying her orders to stay away from the pirate. It also seemed appropriate to change out of her muddy and torn dress.

The room that Emma occupied was on the corner of a hallway. She was just about to turn when she heard whispering voices. Instinctively, she took a few steps back and leaned her ear in to hear. Making out the words wasn't easy, but figuring out who was speaking was. Killian and Aidan. She attempted to lean in further, but still struggled in making out what was being said. Emma caught fragments such as "We must act now" from Aidan and "I'm not that man anymore" from Killian. The discussion, which sounded more like an argument, seemed to be upsetting both the men involved.

'_What could they possibly be talking about?' _Emma thought. She leaned in once more to try and grasp a better understanding of everything. The voices of the men had raised, much to Emma's pleasure, and she heard the end of their conversation.

"I know what you've done for me Killian, but think of what I've done for you in return. All I ask is that you do this for me and I promise there will be rewards." Aidan pleaded.

"No!" Killian shouted, "I'm no longer a deceitful man, you of all people should know that. This could hurt people that you truly care for. Lying is never the answer Aidan, trust me, I know."

"If that's the way you really feel then I won't ask again, but please consider it longer. If you change your mind let me know. You could be helping the future of our kingdoms."

Killian's voice lowered, "Dishonest help is no help at all."

Emma waited for more, but the talking stopped. She realized that this meant either she had to walk in on their moment or they would walk in on her eavesdropping. She straightened her back, patted her dress and turned the corner.

"Oh!" She feigned surprise as best she could, "Aidan, Killian, it's nice to see you both again."

The men bowed towards the princess and Killian rushed off, face red from what Emma supposed was anger.

"Excuse him, we just had a little disagreement."

She tilted her head, "I do hope all is well."

"Nothing for the princess to worry about." Aidan smiled.

Emma moved to her door, "If you'll excuse me. I think it's time to get out of this rag." She entered her room, not waiting for Aidan's goodbye.

She stripped herself of the dress and made her way to the bath. As the tub filled with water she wondered what the two men could have been arguing about. She slipped into the tub. '_What could Aidan be asking of Killian that made him so angry?' _

The words "the future of our kingdoms" rung in Emma's head. She couldn't think of any logical reason for Aidan to upset Killian the way he did.

'_Something big must be going on.'_

Emma tilted her head back and closed her eyes. Whatever they were discussing was urgent and of upmost importance. She knew she couldn't simply ask Killian or Aidan about it. That would mean admitting to eavesdropping and that's not very becoming of a princess. Besides, the alternative would be much more adventurous. Emma was going to investigate this matter as thoroughly as possible. Whatever needed to be done she would do. Maybe she would even get to eavesdrop a little more.


End file.
